"Who Are You To Judge Me?" John 20:19-31 April 11, Quasimodogeniti Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Boise, Idaho Pastor Tim Pauls

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1 "Who Are You To Judge Me?" John 20:19-31 April 11, Quasimodogeniti Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Boise, Idaho Pastor Tim Pauls We hear these words spoken from time to time: indeed, judging others is "out" in our world today. Tolerance and acceptance are watchwords of the day; we are not to be critical of the behaviors and practices of others. We have even reached the point where missionaries are criticized as "intolerant" for trying to share the Gospel in foreign lands, because they aren't accepting of the false religions that they find there. "Who are you to judge me?" It is an automatic defense when we are criticized, when we want to set the critic back on his heels. It is a deadly trap: according to our society today, there are few things worse than being judgmental. The label itself can ruin you. And in this sensitive world that doesn't want to be judged, we hear our Lord institute the Office of the Keys. The risen Savior appears to His disciples and declares, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of anyone, they are retained." It's true, in this world that denounces anyone who judges anything at all, Jesus commands His Church to forgive sins and to retain sins. Now, someone might put up with being "judged" forgiven: but tell someone they are not forgiven, and you're likely to hear "Who are you to judge me?" We'd better not get ahead of ourselves, though. First we should ask: What is the 0ffice of the Keys? What does it mean to forgive sins, and to retain sins? Let's take a look at it this day in two parts: First, we'll examine what the Office of the Keys is, just to make sure that we know what we're talking about. Then, we'll examine how this is Good News for you, for Thomas, and for all. It is appropriate to speak of it on this first Sunday after Easter, for it is closely tied to the cross and resurrection of our Lord. I. The Keys What does it mean to practice the Office of the Keys? What does it mean to forgive and retain sins? How is it done? Is it an appropriate thing to do in a non-judgmental world? Well, first let us deflate a highly-annoying myth. We do not live in a non-judgmental world, despite how much so many loud voices preach the virtue of tolerance. People make judgments all the time. By the judgments they make, they choose if they will attend a church and what church they will attend; where they will send their children to school; what causes they will support, and much, much more. And those in the world who preach that we must tolerate everything also condemn those who don't tolerate everything. They themselves are making judgments. No, don't be misled: When someone says "I tolerate everything and anything," they are saying, "I do John You to Judge Me (TJP) page 1

2 not have values and standards whatsoever that are worth standing for. There is nothing that I consider to be below me." How absurd. The virtue for life in this world is not to be non-judgmental; the skill is to make sound judgments based on truth. So, setting the myth of toleration aside, let us move on to what is true. What is this Office of the Keys? What does it mean to forgive sins and retain sins? Is this some rarely-practiced, mysteriouslyshrouded ritual of the Church? Not at all. To forgive and retain sins is nothing else than to declare to people the Word of God. It means to tell them what the Law of God says about them, and the consequences of their sin. It means to tell them what the Gospel says about them, that Christ has died for their sin. So, let us take the example of a man who has been caught, oh, spreading rumors about someone else. In speaking with them man, we say, "You know, God declares in His eighth commandment that spreading rumors is wrong. He commands, `Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Therefore, according to God's Word, what you are doing is sinful." This is hardly a prejudicial judgment. It is a statement of fact, a statement of what the Lord says in His Scriptures. Let us say that the man responds, "I don't care what the Bible says. I'm going to keep on doing what I'm doing." How do we respond? Once again, with the Word of God not ours: "Then I must tell you, according to God's Word, that because you are not repentant you are not forgiven. I would urge you to repent, cease this sin and confess it, or else you will face God's judgment in the end." This is what it means to retain sins: It means simply to declare what the Lord says about a person's unrepentance. It means to tell them that since they want nothing of God's forgiveness for their sin, they do not have it. If you're in a conversation like this, you are likely to hear, "Who are you to judge me?" The answer is simple: "I am no one, and I am not judging you. I am simply declaring to you what the Word of God says about you; in fact, I am trying to save you from judgment on the Last Day." This is quite true: We are merely messengers, not the Judge of heaven and earth. On the other hand, let us say that when the man is confronted with God's Law, he says, "You're right. What I am doing is wrong and sinful. I repent and will not do that anymore." How do we respond? With the Gospel! "Then I have the joy of telling you that Jesus has died to take away your sin, that God doesn't hold this sin against you, and that you are forgiven!" This is what it means to forgive sins: To announce to them the forgiveness that God has for them, for the sake of Christ. Let us go further to make this important point and imagine for a moment that the man smiles and wryly remarks, "Well thanks, but a fat lot of good it does me if you forgive me. Who are you to forgive me, and how does that count before God?" Our answer is back to God's Word: "You're right! It doesn't matter much that I forgive you, because I can't take away your sin. What matters is that, for the sake of Jesus who died for your sin, God forgives you!" This is what it means to exercise the Office of the Keys, to forgive sins and to retain them. We do not set ourselves up as mind-readers or writers of new laws; the Church is simply called to tell the world what God declares in His Word. The pastor does so publicly, on behalf of the Church, especially on Sunday morning. Take, for instance, the confession and absolution at the start of the service. How does the absolution go? John You to Judge Me (TJP) page 2

3 "Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." Note the phrases here. The pastor says he absolves you by virtue of his office as a called and ordained servant of the Word. He is not the one forgiving you; he is a servant of the Word, declaring God's Word of forgiveness to you. And so he goes on to declare that he forgives you in the stead and by the command of Christ; he is announcing that Christ, not he, is taking away your sins. This goes right back to our Gospel lesson, John 20, where Jesus declares, "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." The apostles were not to forgive sins on their own authority or by their own power: That would mean nothing! No, they were sent as Christ's ambassadors, announcing to people that God forgave them for the sake of Christ. Though not an apostle, the pastor carries on this apostolic ministry publicly, on behalf of the Church. But that does not mean that only the pastor can exercise the Office of the Keys. Any Christian, in conversation with another, is set free by Christ from sin to declare God's Word, to tell people of His holy Law and wondrous Gospel. We should not be surprised, however, when those around us react poorly to hearing God's Word. It is part of our sinful nature that we do not want to be found in the wrong, and we would rather try to justify ourselves than be justified by God. It is also part of our sinful nature to grow defensive and try to put more blame on the one confronting us, in hopes of robbing them of their will to confront. Furthermore, it is part of our sinful nature to resist any sort of authority, and especially the authority of God Himself. When someone is confronted with the news of their sin from God's Word, they may react very angrily indeed. Yes, as we reach out to people with the Good News that Christ has died for our sins, we will probably often hear, "And who are you to judge me?" Dear hearers in Christ, let us not be put off from this wonderful office of the keys. The devil would like nothing more than for us to say, "Well, we are sinners, too, so we can hardly claim moral high ground. Therefore, we ought not to point out the sins of others." If this is what we choose to do, then the Word of God will not be heard and all will be lost. No, remember-and rejoice!-in this: The authority of forgiving sins lies not in you and your holy nature, but in God and His. Who better to judge than the God who established His Law for all, and then gave His Son to die for the sins of all? No, until the end of time, the Church is to proclaim the Word of God, His Law to accuse and His Gospel to absolve. We do not do so to judge, but to save from the judgment of hell for eternity. II. For You, for Thomas, for Al1 But there is more to talk about: This message of sin and grace is for Thomas, for you and for all. So far, we've mostly only talked about exercising the Office of the Keys. Let us not stop there, but let us actually exercise them. You see, there is a far better bit of news than speaking in theory about others; our true hope and comfort is that we get to receive this Word from God for us. What a wonder this is, that God speaks His living Word to you, that you might be convicted of your sin and granted forgiveness and salvation. We see this comfort for Thomas in the Gospel lesson. When Jesus first appears to the disciples, Thomas is not with them. When he hears about it, he John You to Judge Me (TJP) page 3

4 cannot believe it to be true, so he declares "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." His doubt is not a matter of hatred or rejection; it appears that he sincerely desires to believe that Jesus is risen from the dead. But, by his own reason and strength, he cannot believe in Jesus Christ his Lord or come to him. So, on the eighth day, since Thomas cannot believe in Jesus or come to him, Jesus Christ his Lord comes to Thomas. He shows the man his crucified and risen body, and then He applies the Keys of the kingdom to Thomas: "Do not be unbelieving, but believing." Thomas believes, and let us be clear. It is not that he believes by his own reason or strength; it is not that Jesus' appearance satisfies his doubts so that he chooses to believe. Thomas believes by the grace of God. He believes because Jesus condemns his unbelief for the sin that it is, and because the risen Lord is present with him, granting him the faith to believe by His Word. Thomas believes because Jesus says, "[Be] believing," and by His living Word grants Thomas the faith to believe. Dear children of God, this is wonderful news for us today. For as Jesus was present to call Thomas to repentance and faith, He is present with us today as well. With what sins are you burdened today? We all come plagued by our sinful nature. Perhaps they are secret sins that nobody knows about lustful thoughts or selfish desires that never even get past the mind, but are still a decaying presence within you. Perhaps they are sins of gossip or covetousness, sins that come so easily upon us that we come to believe that they are so natural that they must be okay, or that they just can't be helped because they are so easily entered into. Perhaps they are sins of immorality or hatred, perhaps simply a neglect of the things of God. Perhaps, like Thomas, you too are plagued with doubts of God's grace and life for you as you sit in this place today, shaken by tragedy and robbed of comfort. Perhaps no great sin rises in your mind, yet you place your hand upon your heart and find that you are flesh and blood, and acknowledge with the Scriptures that you are a poor, miserable sinner. It is a trick of the devil that, when we are so burdened, we for some reason seek isolation. Perhaps we believe that, if we are alone, we will think up the solutions in our own mind and be able to implement ways to defeat these sins. Perhaps we believe that we need to do something to overcome the sin within us before we can expect God to do anything to help. Perhaps we are afraid others will read our thoughts and know our shame. But for whatever reason, we find ourselves quick to make ourselves alone and apart from others. Why is this a devilish design? Because when we are sinful and bothered by our sin, our Lord desires us to be relieved of the burden and be certain of forgiveness and salvation. He assures us, makes us certain, by means of His holy Word. If we isolate ourselves and stew in our own thoughts, we will not be hearing the saving Word of God. No, when we are troubled by sin, the Lord would have us run to another Christian who is wellschooled in the Word of God, that we might hear the Lord's Law and Gospel. He would have us run to a faithful pastor, that we might confess our sinfulness on the basis of God's Word and be assured that we are forgiven for the sake of Christ, no matter the sin that we have done. He would have us run to the Divine Service on Sunday morning, for there God Himself speaks to us words of forgiveness. (The text declares today, "These things are written that you might believe; and believing, you might have eternal life.) Since you cannot go to Jesus, Jesus comes to you as He did John You to Judge Me (TJP) page 4

5 to Thomas and the other disciples. And so, that you might be certain of your salvation, in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I announce to you this day His Law and Gospel. I declare to you that those secret sins within your heart-about which only you know are enough to hold you guilty before God; they condemn you and invite judgment upon you. I declare to you that sins that come to you so naturally that they seem to be "just how you are" do in fact break the Law of God. I declare to you this day that acts of immorality and hatred and violence offend God, and that the immoral and the hateful will not enter the kingdom of heaven. I declare to you that a neglect of God's Word and Sacraments is a dangerous and harmful sin indeed, for only these means of grace can grant you the forgiveness won by Christ on the cross. If you reject the means, you reject the grace. I therefore declare to you your sin, but I do not do so with joy. I do not do so to make you angry. Indeed, I do not do so to judge you, for I am not the judge. Any opinion that I have about you, you are free to disregard and ignore. But whatever God says about you is true; and to ignore His Word and continue in sin will bring judgment upon you on the Last Day. Not from me, but from Him. I do not declare this to you today to judge you for your sin, but rather to show you the truth of God's Word that you cannot save yourself. And I do this solely to prepare you for this wonderful news to you: Today, the Lord is with you. He has died for your sins. He is risen from the dead. He lives and reigns to all eternity. This same Son of God is present with you today, forgiving your sins and granting you life and salvation. When He died for you at the cross, God judged Him guilty for all of your sins. And because He has died for you, God the Father declares you "not guilty" because Jesus has died in your place. This is the news we gratefully receive. We gratefully hear God's Law about our sin-yes, gratefully: It is not like it isn't true. Furthermore, God graciously warns us of judgment now so that we might repent and be spared eternal judgment later. But all the more, we rejoice that Christ has unlocked the door, that the gates of heaven are opened. There is no sin too great that the cross does not cover. You are forgiven. Who are we to judge? It may be asked as an accusation, but we respond with thanksgiving to God. We speak His Word not as those who judge, but as those who are delivered from judgment. We speak not as those who wish to condemn but as those who in Christian love desire that others be delivered, too. And deliverance is ours this day, for the risen Lord is with us today, granting us life and salvation. Amen John You to Judge Me (TJP) page 5